God does not determine right and wrong

[Ignorant]

...Presumably because god would have some reason for not making such a declaration. But this means that there is some reason for finding rape and murder to be morally wrong. In which case, why can't we appeal to reason directly and remove god from the discussion?

You can, in fact, discuss morality and its reasons without discussing god.

The reality which is the human person becomes the "object" of moral reasoning. I.e. Which human actions truly bring about the best version of humanity. Two aspects of the discussion: 1) What is the "best version of humanity" and 2) Which sort of actions bring it about.

Those are not easy discussions, but they are certainly worth having.